BART data shows that more than 600 riders from Antioch, Brentwood, Bay Point, Oakley and Pittsburg are parking at the North Concord/Martinez station. I hear from riders who must get up earlier than they would like, travel longer distances and spend more time in their car just to find parking spaces.

We can do better.

BART has a total of 48,000 parking spaces at 34 parking facilities. And we have a systemwide waitlist for reserved parking of 38,000 customers.

In my district, Pittsburg/Bay Point station has 2,035 parking spaces that fill up about 6:25 a.m. There are 1,207 people on the waitlist for reserved parking. North Concord/Martinez has 1,980 spaces that fill around 8:30 a.m.

At the Antioch station, there are 1,012 parking spaces. The waitlist for reserved monthly parking has 846 people on it, and that station isn’t even open yet. Service starts in late May.

BART staff suggestions for parking include some alternatives to ease overcrowding in our existing lots. Those ideas include pricing that would increase when demand is higher and variable pricing by time of day. These are fine ideas for consideration, but what about parking expansion?

Recently, I contacted several East Contra Costa business owners about parking at BART. They asked, why is BART just trying to manage the overcrowding and not capturing the revenue that could be generated by creatively accommodating people on the waitlists?

As a director who represents auto-dependent riders, I think they are correct.

BART’s revenue from parking has increased from under $5 million in 2003 to $35 million in 2017. Let’s assume that the 38,000 names on the waitlist contain duplicates and that there are, say, 16,000 potential riders willing to pay parking fees to get a spot. Accommodating them could increase BART parking revenue to as high as $54 million, or a $19 million per year increase.

Here are some ideas:

• Use surplus commercial spaces. There are existing developed commercial properties adjacent to Highway 4 in East County that have surplus parking during the day. Let’s engage these property owners and talk to the cities to provide our riders with an option that will reduce their car commute.

• Use technology to regulate parking lot entrances and ensure that drivers when they arrive at the station get the parking spot they paid for.

• Adjust permit-holder hours. The monthly reserved parking rules allow permit-holders to park before 10 a.m. in designated parking spaces. After that, the spaces are opened to everyone. Some stations might benefit by moving the 10 a.m. time an hour earlier or later, giving drivers more flexibility. Let’s try it.

Each of these ideas merits further discussion and I look forward to a robust exchange of ideas when discussion of the parking program returns to the board. I also urge BART riders who have additional ideas about parking to contact me so that we don’t leave any stone unturned.

The parking needs of riders at auto-dependent stations are different than the needs of riders from more-urbanized parts of the Bay Area. The solution to overcrowded parking cannot be a “one size fits all.” While solutions may be different, the differences should be respected.

BART Director Joel Keller represents East Contra Costa, including Antioch, Bay Point, Brentwood, Oakley, Pittsburg and part of Concord. Reach him by email at Honorjk@comcast.net or by phone at (510) 915-7925.